Richard G. Green (December 13, 1913 – September 3, 2001) was a 20th-century American lawyer who championed civil rights and free speech, including defense of

William Remington William Walter Remington (1917–1954) was an American economist who was employed in various United States government positions. His career was interrupted by accusations of Communist espionage made by Elizabeth Bentley, a Soviet spy and de ...

in the late 1940s and Stephen Radich in the 1960s.

Background

Richard G. Green was born December 13, 1913, in New York City. He studied at

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

and the

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a Private university, private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and adjunct faculty. ...

Career

On September 12, 1948 (a Sunday) at 8:30 PM,

Elizabeth Bentley Elizabeth Terrill Bentley (January 1, 1908 – December 3, 1963) was an American NKVD spymaster, who was recruited from within the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). She served the Soviet Union as the primary handler of multiple highly placed moles ...

appeared again the first-ever television broadcast via WNBT of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's ''

Meet the Press ''Meet the Press'' is a weekly American television Sunday morning talk show broadcast on NBC. It is the List of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running program on American television, though its format has changed since th ...

'' and was the first interviewed. Journalists included:

Nelson Frank Julian Nelson Frank (1906–1974) was a journalist for the ''New York World-Telegram'', an anti-communist special agent with U.S. Naval Intelligence, and an investigator for the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee.Inez Robb, Cecil Brown, and

Lawrence Spivak Lawrence Edmund Spivak (June 11, 1900 – March 9, 1994) was an American publisher and journalist who was best known as the co-founder, producer and host of the prestigious public affairs program ''Meet the Press''. He and journalist Martha Rountr ...

. Cecil Brown asked her three times whether she would accuse William Remington of being a communist outside of congressional protection, she finally did so.

Joseph L. Rauh Jr. Joseph Louis Rauh Jr. (January 3, 1911 – September 3, 1992) was one of the United States' foremost civil rights and civil liberties lawyers. In his early career, he served as a lawyer in the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration and a cler ...

defended him before a Truman Loyalty Review Board. His attorney Richard Green asked on Remington's asked for her to withdraw the allegations by September 30. When she did not, Green filed for Remington a libel suit against Bentley, NBC, and its television sponsor

General Foods Corporation General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the United States by Charles William (C. W.) Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The company changed its name to "General Foods" in 1929, after severa ...

on October 6, 1948. Bentley failed to appear in court in October. On December 29, 1948, Green said he had personally served a summons on her (while, on the same day, judges and lawyers agreed to suspend

Alger Hiss Alger Hiss (November 11, 1904 – November 15, 1996) was an American government official who was accused of espionage in 1948 for the Soviet Union in the 1930s. The statute of limitations had expired for espionage, but he was convicted of perjur ...

's libel suit against

Whittaker Chambers Whittaker Chambers (born Jay Vivian Chambers; April 1, 1901 – July 9, 1961) was an American writer and intelligence agent. After early years as a Communist Party member (1925) and Soviet spy (1932–1938), he defected from the Soviet u ...

due to Justice indictments against Hiss on two counts of perjury two weeks before). Green defended Stephen Radich, owner of the Radich Gallery of New York City, during his trial in 1967 for exhibiting a show in which artist Marc Morrel abused the American flag, first with the flag as hangman's noose, another with the flag draped in chains. In May 1967, Radich was convicted for violating a New York state law against defilement or mutilation of the American flag.

Personal and death

Green married three times, last to Ruth Davis, and had a son and three step-daughters. Green died age 87 on September 3, 2001, in New York City.

References

2001 deaths 20th-century American lawyers Lawyers from New York City City College of New York alumni Brooklyn Law School alumni 1913 births {{US-law-bio-stub